Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fuagf]

chunga .. further to Steph's comment, .. Yep, i took these from hers as it was easier to read .. :)
.. good news, saw it earlier .. good post .. bits of you article with uninformed comment and other bits ..

The accord is expected to win ratification from both nations' parliaments and could
lead to a reopening of their border within two months. It has been closed for 16 years.

Just think how good it would be for so many .. wow.

But nationalists on both sides are still seeking to derail implementation of the deal.

For me that's been a bugbear forever. Extreme nationalistic fervor has historically caused so much conflict, and retarded productive progress and peace. Too many times, in too many places. There is pride, there is too much pride.

In the end, the Turks and Armenians signed an accord establishing diplomatic ties that could reduce tensions in
the troubled Caucasus region and facilitate its growing role as a corridor for energy supplies bound for the West.

The language, "could reduce tensions" appeals to me rather than 'will' .. suggestion of certainty sucks when it isn't.

"The success of Turkey in pressuring Armenia into accepting these humiliating, one-sided protocols proves,
sadly, that genocide pays," said Ken Hachikian, chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America.

We don't know all detail of the protocols, which Mr. Hachikian dislikes so much, and of course, many
Armenian hearts would still bear great anguish over events of some 84 years ago .. maybe 1.5 million dead .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Genocide .. but how long does one hang on to the past?

The Vietnamese have moved on ..

"According to the Vietnamese government, 1,100,000 Vietnam People's Army and National Front for the Liberation
of Vietnam military personnel and 2,000,000 Vietnamese civilians on both sides died in the conflict".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War_casualties

In Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country was showing "goodwill" to restore ties with Armenia. But he said Turkey was keen on seeing Armenian troops withdrawn from Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-occupied enclave in Azerbaijan that has been a center of regional tensions.

Dialogue vital to resolving Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, Armenia tells UN

28 September 2009 – The ongoing dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is part of Azerbaijan’s territory but is occupied by Armenian forces, could be settled as long as both sides refrain from taking action that hampers the peace process, Armenia’s Foreign Minister told the General Assembly today.

Edward Nalbandian accused Azerbaijan for misrepresenting the “essence” of the problem, including over the weekend when Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, speaking before the Assembly, tried to “smother ethnic cleansings and its policy of violence against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32329

"We are trying to boost our relations with Armenia in a way that
will cause no hard feelings for Azerbaijan," Erdogan told reporters.

Armenian President Serge Sarkisian said his country was taking "responsible decisions" in
normalizing relations with Turkey, despite what he called the unhealable wounds of genocide.

The agreement calls for a panel to discuss "the historical dimension" of the killing of an estimated
1.5 million Armenians during World War I. The discussion is to include "an impartial scientific examination
of the historical records and archives to define existing problems and formulate recommendations."

That clause is viewed as a concession to Turkey, which denies genocide,
contending the toll is inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war.

"There is no alternative to the establishment of the relations with Turkey
without any precondition," said Sarkisian. "It is the dictate of the time."

Turkey shut its border with Armenia to protest the Armenian invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh in 1993.

"We may end up in a kind of awkward situation where there are
diplomatic relations, but the border is still closed," Taspinar said.

Mr Ken Hachikian is upset .. "Hachikian to Sarkisian: How Dare You Squander Our Political Capital?".. letter inside ..

and has many supporters, but then .. one of comments .. ..

Maybe Ken should go to Armenia, get his Armenian citizenship and in 10 years time run for president or some other high office. Until then, he has no right to dicate his terms to the RA president. What capital has he built? Every year is the same game in Washington, Armenians want the President of the USA to say the G word, he never does and then there always follow the articles about how turkey controls the state department, etc. Instead of wasting the millions on getting some idiot in the white house to say what we already know is fact and many others, let’s use the money in a more pragmatic fashion.

I’m tired of the hysteria that the ANCA and others are causing among the Armenian-American community.
http://www.hairenik.com/weekly/2009/10/05/hachikian-to-sarkisian-how-dare-you-squander-our-political-capital/

Many must be.